Archive - Work in Progress

[Tucker Fan 48]

The stampings on #48 look completely different from anything I've seen on the "convertible". I'd love to see stampings from
other cars if anyone has photos. It'll be interesting to see if they look like the ones on #48.

It also seems unlikely that with fraud charges hanging over his head that Preston Tucker would be sneaking cars out the
back door and hiding them at Lencki's. With the companies future on the line, would he really be that concerned about
a prototype that was no where near being finished (if you believe the convertible fairytale) ?

The pictures really show that #1027 and many of the parts cobbled together that make up the convertible are the same car.
That really shows that the factory prototype story cannot be true as #1027 was never a convertible.

Does anyone know that history of #1027 after the rollover at Indy? Was the car sold at the auction? Where has it been all
this time?

[TUCKER]

But this stamp of 57 is stamped two times over a diferent number like to hide a number that is not from the same number. The number is not 57 under double 57. They do not match if you cut and past them over eachother. It looks more like a 51 and why would they restamp a number that was deep and clear under the two 57s??

[Barry Wolk]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but the two "7" stamps appear to be made with different dies. The curvature is different, in my opinion.

[TUCKER]

Yes number 1027 was sold for $500.00 with no engine. It was wrecked but pretty much complete sitting on building #4 of the Tucker Corporation at that time.

One funny thing is that Ezra, Al's Auto Parts and Schlif all were buying cars together at the sale of October 30 1950 so they all hide the mystery of where they kept 1057 till this day. They all switched parts around on the cars taking parts for the mystery car we have not seen till this day and all the parts they kept were the best parts of the best and are enough to put another body together. I still believe the big back window car is what was put together but where is it??

[TUCKER]

Yes the sevens are not the same also. Maybe he used the wrong die and tried to fix it so it look the same as the other parts,

[TUCKER]

Once again like I have said before I have nothing against this car and I do like it. I like the car and the work being done to it. I just work on solving the mystery of where it came from and what it was made from. Also this car is not 1057 but 1027 made into a convertible. The car was never a Tucker design and it was never started by anyone at Tucker. It was sold with the same story by Al like the red frame and 1052. The red frame and 1052 came with blueprints also to finish a Tucker convertible that was just part to sell the part lots. You will find the same story in this other two cars. Read the two attached photos!

[tractiondk]

To Tucker/Ricardo - my respect.
What a wonderfull detective work you have done.
Where is the frame from 1042 today? and what about the R2 automatic transmission?

Thanks for sharing

Torsten
Denmark

[Tucker Fan 48]

So what happened to #1052 and the red frame? Is someone building it into a car?

[TUCKER]

The red frame is being made into another Tucker with parts from other cars. It is not the frame from 1018 but 1042. It also have the front hood of 1027 and back hood of 1042 along with a door from 1042 which sold on ebay some time ago. Parts of the real 1018 frame were seen at Al's home but he had cut up and saved the front part of it. If you see the early photos with the coul you will see why he cutt it and how it is not the same frame. This would make another large topic just on this frame. We can start a new topic on this later.

1052 is under "see a Tucker" shown under 1027 which is nothing but like two doors from 1027 and all the fenders are from 1018. It is Tucker 1052 which had the roof cut off by someone and all the fenders from 1018 were put on it later by Al or one of the other two persons. I still don't understand how they can call it 1027 if it is 1052.

[Tucker Fan 48]

I'm guessing a lot of this has to do with the value. A restored #1027 would have a huge value given it's history,
but a #1052 would interest only some collectors that can't afford a "real" Tucker (1001-1050). That is why the
prototype "convertible" story keeps getting pushed to the public. As a bunch of old parts cobbled together as a
Tucker Convertible it's an interesting piece and will not bring top dollar, but as the one and only factory prototype
commissioned by Preston Tucker and built in secret and hidden away for years the value gets much higher.

What is really funny to me is it appears that under the cobbled up "convertible" they have most of #1027 which
would be worth more than the average Tucker given it's history as the rollover car from Indy.

On that subject I'm wondering which Tuckers are the most valuable. Of course they all have great value but
because of their history or other features, which of the original 50+1 would be the most valuable? I would think
The Tin Goose
#1001 ( as it was the first)
#1030 (Preston Tucker's car)
#1027 (the Indy rollover car)

Any others? Seems like almost every car is different as they made improvements. Bev Ferreira's #1041 sounds like
it is a solid car because of all the mechanical modifications he made to it.

[TuckerCar]

The recent developments are compelling and will very likely result in some changes to the club's records of the whereabouts of 1018, 1027 and 1042.

[TUCKER]

Now 1030 I believe have a story that was made up to sell for more. I would believe the Tucker down in Brazil would be the real Preston Tucker personal car since this car ended down there where Preston lived for some time before he returned and died. Also the car in brazil was a later built car that would be more improved.

[TUCKER]

Here is 1018 and it was not the same red frame of today. See photos and you will see where it was cut in half. Also see the Tin Goose at the background! I believe Al had part of this frame and coul some time ago. I have photos of the parts but will take some time to find them.
Once again the red frame was from 1042.

[Barry Wolk]

I have a questions regarding the numbers. Are the numbers shown in the pictures on their site in the usual places? My pre-A Porsche from that era has the last three numbers of the serial number stamped into each major metal piece. They are always in known locations.

From a mechanical standpoint having done a ton of riveting you would not get distinct, well formed, numbers if there were no buck behind the sheet metal. The forces necessary to get that deep an impression would dramatically dimple the surrounding metal without a buck.

If any of these stampings are in places that are inaccessible from the back side then I would say they are original. If there is a sign that they were recently bucked, I'd be suspicious.

[Franklin6]

If any of these stampings are in places that are inaccessible from the back side then I would say they are original. If there is a sign that they were recently bucked, I'd be suspicious.

Good point, Barry. However we must remember we're dealing with parts and not a complete car. The backside of everything is accessible.

-F6